Preparing the interior PDF of the book

The PDF with the content of the book must comply with certain technical characteristics regarding page format, margins, fonts, and other aspects that make the book suitable for distribution with Print-On-Demand.

You can create the paper version of your book with Write; if you’d rather use other text editors, make sure that the PDF meets the requirements listed below:

Introduction

Only PDF files are accepted for publication;
title, subtitle, and author must correspond on the book’s title page and with the metadata entered in the article tab on HUB;
if available, the ISBN code shown in the internal pdf must match the ISBN shown in the metadata;
crop marks may be present, but not registration marks or color bars;
the format of the PDF page must be identical to the format selected in the article tab on HUB. The PDF must have the same layout if you choose the A5 print format (148x210 mm).

Page layout

The PDF file must be laid out as a single page;
on our calculator page, you can choose from different print formats; here the available ones to date:

the internal margins must measure at least 16 mm for books that have less than 500 pages, otherwise at least 22 mm;
at the beginning of the book, there must be a title page containing title, subtitle (if provided), and author;
all fonts must be embedded in the PDF;
pages must have consecutive numbering, with no skipped numbers;
the table of contents, if present, must be correct and the various entries must correspond to the page number to which they refer;
no more than two consecutive blank pages are allowed at the beginning or inside the book, and no more than 10 at the end;
no references to any printing house that has already printed other editions are allowed, nor indications such as “Printed on... from...”;
books must have a minimum of 55 pages and a maximum of 828.

Books with images or graphic elements that contain a bleed

If the book has images that contain a bleed or graphics that extend to the edge of the page, the PDF must have 5mm bleeds on each side. For example, if the print size you choose is A5 (148x210 mm), the final PDF to print will need to measure 158x220 mm. Below, you can see an example of a page with the image placed in the center (which does not require bleeds) and an example where the image extends to the edge of the page (which requires bleeds of 5 mm on each edge).

Images

We recommend inserting images that have a resolution of at least 300dpi;
images should not be blurry, low-quality, or contain unreadable text (as happens in some scans).

Color books

It is preferable to use files in CMYK (four-color printing);
sample colors are not compatible with Print-On-Demand, so we recommend converting them to CMYK.
color profiles do not need to be placed in the files.

Please Note: StreetLib uses the most modern and sophisticated digital printing techniques, which guarantee the production of low cost but high-quality books by giving you the ability to order just a single copy, which would be impossible with traditional offset methods. Also, digital printing allows you to print a book from anywhere in the world, simply by sending the file to a connected print shop.

Therefore, each book can be printed from several locations and with different machines. Digital printing is a process that uses four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) that are sprayed onto the paper in tiny spots and mixed creating all varieties of color. Printing results depend not only on the original file, but above all on the characteristics of the machines and their configuration, so the color results can vary, albeit slightly, from one print, batch, or printer, to the other. While maintaining high quality, comparing copies printed at different times or locations may result in color differences.

High-Quality B&W books

If the book contains many black and white images or photographs, you must select the High-Quality Black and White printing option. This ensures the book will be printed on 135g coated paper.

For books printed in High-Quality Black and White, all text (fonts) must be created in 100% black, not in grayscale or CMYK. Black and white images, however, can be created in grayscale. Color PDFs will not be accepted for High-Quality Black and White printing.

StreetLib can take care of the page layout of your book. Check out our book layout and printing services!